Designed by Nature
Overture Center-Capitol Theater 201 State St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
National Geographic Live presentation by Kakani Katija. $60-$35.
press release: Are you intrigued by marine life and interested in learning more about our underwater world? In National Geographic Live: Designed by Nature on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m. in Capitol Theater, bioengineer and research diver Kakani Katija will take you on a deep dive into one of the least explored ecosystems on our planet, the midwaters of the ocean. Katija, a National Geographic Explorer who considered being an astronaut, opted for being a bioengineer and hopes to illuminate the twilight zones of the ocean using technology inspired by the creatures living there.
Designers and engineers have drawn inspiration from our natural world for decades, creating innovations as groundbreaking as manned flight, and Katija’s own early work has led to energy efficient jellyfish-inspired robotics. Now, she studies little-known sea creatures that have the potential to make a big impact on some of our world’s most critical problems. As a certified research diver, Katija conducts field studies around the world, gathering data to help her develop technologies for exploring this ocean twilight zone and imagining—and creating—possibilities for the future.
Katija’s presentation is approximately 75 minutes long and will conclude with a 15-minute Meet the Artist Q&A session. No intermission. Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Kakani Katija: Bioengineer Kakani Katija is dedicated to developing underwater technologies to better observe biological and physical processes where they happen in the ocean. Her research and engineering development efforts have contributed to our understanding of nutrient cycling in the oceans, biologically induced mixing of the oceans, the ecology of gelatinous and soft-bodied invertebrates in deep-sea environments, and bioinspired design. She is currently a Principal Engineer and Principal Investigator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and heads the Bioinspiration Lab.
Katija and members of her team develop tools and platforms that include:
- Advanced imaging tools to measure biological-physical interactions in the ocean,
- Electronics tagging packages to deduce organism behavioral response to a changing environment, and
- Autonomous underwater vehicles, using stereo tracking to address a wide range of marine science questions.
A former ice dancer and member of the U.S. International Figure Skating Team, Katija is an active scientific diver, conducting field expeditions in various locations around the world using technologies she has developed. Katija was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2011 and a Kavli Research Fellow in 2013, and she has received generous funding support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation.
Although her education began in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Washington, Katija received her Ph.D. in bioengineering at the California Institute of Technology. When not in the lab or ocean, she can be found with her husband and dog roaming around the West.